I asked all of the Youth Program staff to write blog posts for me that show what Courageous means to them and/or about a story that embodies their time at Courageous. I feel it is only fair for me to do the same…

I came to Courageous in 2011 after calling Kate, the Youth Program Director, and asking if she was interested in hiring an Environmental Educator. She enthusiastically said yes. So in 2011 I started as the Step Green Program Coordinator, took a hiatus in 2012, then returned in 2013 as the Courageously Green Environmental Education Program Director- a continuation of the Step Green program. From there, I moved on to become the Youth Program Outreach Coordinator where I assisted the Youth Program in all aspects including hiring staff for the summer of 2014, finding at-risk Boston Public School students for the SwimSailScience program, and helping with program design, organization, and public relations.

Even with all of those titles and responsibilities, Courageous meant more to me than just a job. Courageous is a place where I learned, under the guidance of the Youth Program Director and Executive Director, how to become a fair, respected, and kindhearted leader. Courageous is a place where I honed my strengths in multitasking and delegation. I will always remember my time at Courageous as more than just working at a sailing center, but as a place where I made a community and witnessed one of the strongest, most sincere, hardest working non-profit organizations in the community sailing world.

Over the three years I have worked here, I have held the hand of a fearful little girl from Dorchester and helped her conquer her fear of sailing, inspired instructors to study Environmental Studies in their college careers, and hopefully acted as a role model for how to be a successful woman in the sailing and science communities. This is what Courageous really is- a spot where one can both be inspired and be an inspiration.

And the sailing instructors and educators that I worked with at Courageous this summer are truly inspiring. They all care so deeply about the mission of our work and about changing lives by encouraging and teaching a passion for sailing. I will miss all of their random stories at the end of the day, their laughs about the weird activities that I plan, and their insightful questions about recycling and the environment.

As I move across the country and say goodbye to Courageous, I have no concerns about the future of this wonderful nonprofit. The leadership, instructors, and sailing students will keep this place thriving for years and years to come. In the end, I have to thank the two people who could never possibly understand how much what they do matters. Kate, the current Youth Program Director, is hands-down one of the hardest working people I have ever met. I will forever wonder at how she does so much, juggles so many boats, personnel, grants, and other various details. Kate has been an exceptional mentor, teaching me how to let go of the things that don’t matter and how to be passionate about the things that do matter- such as giving urban youth the opportunity to experience sailing and benefit from a fun, engaging summer youth program. I am truly lucky to have had Kate for a supervisor and even luckier that I can call her a friend.

And Dave, our current Executive Director, who is the other hardest working person I have ever met. I have to thank him for always believing in me and appreciating what I do. It is very rare to find a boss who has so many things on his/her plate yet still takes time to show how much he respects and values his employees. Dave has shown me how important it is to be a patient leader- that taking your time with certain decisions really does pay off. Having an Executive Director who is grateful, rational, and strong makes the employees work harder and better so they can live up to his example and make him proud, and in the end his leadership is what makes Courageous so successful.

Courageous Sailing is really the warm, sometimes a little wacky, community that everyone says it is. It keeps people returning year after year, looking for the meaningful purpose, the environment, and the heart that is at its core. I can’t wait to return after some time away to see all of the incredible things that is group has accomplished. Fair winds and see you all again soon :)

During my many years at Courageous, I have had the pleasure of working with many different children. The one part of Courageous that I have not spent much time with is SwimSailScience (SSS) and Summer Learning Project. This past Wednesday I had an amazing experience with some of the kids from those programs.

Apart from sailing, I have a few other hobbies that I enjoy. One of these is playing the ukulele and singing. Some days I bring my ukulele in to Courageous to play during lunch or before the kids show up. On Wednesday I was playing the ukulele outside the boathouse when I began to notice that I had an audience. Slowly, I saw a few SSS kids gravitate towards the music. I was playing a song that they knew and a few kids started singing with me. Before I knew it, there was a large group surrounding me and singing along.

If you don’t know much about the SSS program, these are mainly kids from the inner city. A lot of these kids are pegged as “bad kids” and “troublemakers,” and Courageous gives them the amazing opportunity to learn sailing. This session was a particularly difficult group of students but they went silent and were fascinated by the music.

This experience showed me that no matter where a kid comes from or what their home or school life is like, they are just like any other child. They are looking for things to learn and always want to have fun. I was reminded of being a kid myself when I saw how happy they were just to be singing and listening to music at sailing camp.